Hellewise Hearth-Woman
Hellewise Hearth-Woman, better known as Hellewise, is a famous figure in Night World history. She is the daughter of Hecate Witch-Queen, the twin sister of Maya Dragonslayer, and progenitor of the Harman family. One of her descendants, Thea Harman, is said to have a strong resemblance to her in appearance and demeanor, as does the Old Soul Hannah Snow. Appearance Hellewise is stated to be Maya's twin, but she is the opposite of her sister in terms of appearance. She is fair-haired and "pretty", with brown eyes, which have been described as seeming very wise. Her descendent Thea Harman is said to look a great deal like her. Personality Hellewise has demonstrated a quiet demeanor, coupled with a great deal of wisdom, kindness and compassion . She openly weeps at the actions of her sister, and when she first sees what her friend Theorn has become. However, she is a formidable fighter, succeeding in battling and driving out her vampiric twin, a very notable feat considering Maya had retained her powers as a witch in addition to her newfound vampiric abilities and immortality. Theorn has mentioned that his own love, Hannah, shares the same quality of wisdom as Hellewise. History Prehistoric Times Hellewise and her twin sister Maya were the daughters of Hecate Witch-Queen, the ruler of the witches and a unknown man . The identity of Hellewise and Maya's father is unknown but it is implying that he might have been either a human or a witch . At some point in history, Hecate lead the witch clans against the shapeshifters, winning an epic war against their leaders, the dragons (there is a very strong possibility Hellewise and Maya participated in this war). In retaliation, the dragons attempted to obliterate the earth, but the witches were able to stop them, rendering them comatose and burying them under the earth. After this, a period of peace descended on the world. Hecate died, and her daughters became the joint rulers of the witches. However, that soon would all change forever. Ever ambitious, Maya decided to seek out a spell that would make her immortal, and conducted several experiments in the forests. When Maya did find the spell, she kidnapped and drank the blood of all four of the tribe's babies; Hellewise was horrified at her sister's actions and wept, comforted by their mutual friend, Theorn. Afterwards, Maya vanished from the tribe. Maya eventually reappeared, now the first made vampire, and managed to lure Theorn out of the caves and convert him, leaving his body for the tribe to find. Thinking him dead, they buried him, but Theorn soon revived and, out of bloodlust, attacked his own brother, Conlan. However, he was stopped at the sight of Hellewise's tear-filled face. Ashamed, Theorn fled, but Hellewise called after him, vowing to stop Maya for what she had done. After the massacre of the Three Rivers tribe, Theorn returned to the witches, startling Hellewise. Promising not to harm her, Theorn tells her what had happened and asks Hellewise for a spell that will put him to sleep until his soulmate Hana is reborn. Despite Hellewise's warnings that the spell was not foolproof (many things might go wrong), she agrees to give him the spell, giving him "an infusion" of herbs which puts Theorn into a deep sleep. At some point in her life, she had a daughter named Iluna, who carried on the Hearth-Woman line. Maya, meanwhile, was turning more tribesmen into made vampires. In retaliation for the suffering her sister had caused her people, Hellewise engaged Maya in the very first Night War. Ultimately, the witch triumphed over her twin, who was driven with her son Red Fern from the witch tribe forever. Unfortunately, as a result, Hellewise was mortally wounded and died soon afterwards. Modern Times Hellewise is mentioned and referred to often, mainly by the witches, who revere her as their hero. In rare cases, Hellewise's descendants are able to call on her for aid in emergencies; this ability is shown with great success by Thea Harman against the vengeful spirit of a witch, and by Aradia, the Maiden of the Witches, who appeals to the rogue witch Sylvia Weald as "a daughter of Hellewise"; Aradia is noted for even taking on Hellewise's likeness as she invokes the Harman ancestress. Night World: The Ultimate Fan Guide Hellewise, the daughter of Hecate Witch-Queen, lives during the Stone Age and is worshiped as the head of the Harman family, the most powerful family of witches. Hellewise is frequently called upon as a source of power in casting and is admired for her benevolence and beauty. Trivia *Hellewise's name appears to be a combination of the Greek name "Helle" and the word "wise". In Greek mythology, Helle had been a young princess who, with her twin brother Phrixus, had been sentenced to death thanks to their jealous stepmother. Luckily, the two children had been rescued by a flying golden ram sent by the gods, but unfortunately Helle lost her grip and fell into the sea, which was thereafter called the Hellespont (the Sea of Helle). "Hellene" is also an ancient word for a Greek citizen, and is a variant of the Scandinavian name Helga, which means "holy". *Her surname "Hearth-Woman" seems to be a distant reference to the Greek goddess Hestia (Vesta in Latin), who was responsible for protecting the home, family and hearth (fireplace; the center of life for a family or city). Fittingly, according to the family tree posted by L.J. Smith, there is a member of the Hearth-Woman line named Hestia. *According to the book Soulmate, Thierry Descouedres once had a brother named Conlan. On the family tree posted by L.J. Smith, it is stated that a Conlan Spearthrower became the mate of Hellewise and the father of her daughter, Iluna Hearth-Woman. According to the ultimate fanguide, Thierry's brother and Hellewise's mate are the same person. However, as it is not known if the tribes of the Stone Age held marriage ceremonies, it is not certain if Thierry and Hellewise are in-laws, despite Thierry being the uncle of Iluna. *According to Aradia, Hellewise had created a law stating that a witch is forbidden to kill a human. Ironically, the laws of the Night World in fact permit the killing of human beings. *In Night World history, Hellewise had aided Maya in finding the immortality spell, but ultimately would not help her sister conduct it once she knew that it would involve killing children. *Although Hellewise is the progenitress of the Hearth-Woman/Harman line, it is currently not certain if her twin sister is counted among the Harmans. *Although Hellewise is regarded as the ancestress of all witches, she is not the first of the witches as they predate her. **It is possible that after Hecate Witch-Queen's death, Hellewise was given the title because she was the only remaining daughter of Hecate, as Maya renounced her witch heritage and became a vampire. **On the other hand, it is hinted that most of the tribe's witches were changed into vampires by Maya. The remaining tribe's people may have mated with Hellewise's descendants, therefore all the witches descended from the tribe have some blood relation to Hellewise. Appearances *''Spellbinder'' (mentioned) *''Soulmate'' (appears in flashback) *''Black Dawn '' References See also Category:Characters Category:Witches Category:Females Category:Deceased Category:Harman Family Category:Hecate Witch-Queen's Tribe